diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index db9c61082..d6066b38b 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ SET (SRCS
 	MonsterConfig.cpp
 	Noise.cpp
 	ProbabDistrib.cpp
+	RankManager.cpp
 	RCONServer.cpp
 	Root.cpp
 	Scoreboard.cpp
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ SET (HDRS
 	MonsterConfig.h
 	Noise.h
 	ProbabDistrib.h
+	RankManager.h
 	RCONServer.h
 	Root.h
 	Scoreboard.h
diff --git a/src/RankManager.cpp b/src/RankManager.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..954edd099
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/RankManager.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+
+// RankManager.cpp
+
+// Implements the cRankManager class that represents the rank manager responsible for assigning permissions and message visuals to players
+
+#include "Globals.h"
+#include "RankManager.h"
+#include "Protocol/MojangAPI.h"
+#include "inifile/iniFile.h"
+#include <iostream>
+
+
+
+
+
+/*
+// This code is for internal testing while developing the cRankManager class
+static class cRankMgrTest
+{
+public:
+	cRankMgrTest(void) :
+		m_Mgr()
+	{
+		// Initialize the cMojangAPI so that it can convert playernames to UUIDs:
+		cIniFile Ini;
+		Ini.ReadFile("settings.ini");
+		m_API.Start(Ini);
+		
+		// Test the cRankManager class:
+		ReportPlayer("xoft");
+	}
+	
+	void ReportPlayer(const AString & a_PlayerName)
+	{
+		// Get the player's UUID and rank:
+		AString UUID = m_API.GetUUIDFromPlayerName(a_PlayerName);
+		std::cout << "Player " << a_PlayerName << " has UUID '" << UUID <<"'." << std::endl;
+		std::cout << "  Rank: '" << m_Mgr.GetPlayerRankName(UUID) << "'." << std::endl;
+
+		// List all the permission groups for the player:
+		AStringVector Groups = m_Mgr.GetPlayerPermissionGroups(UUID);
+		std::cout << "  Groups(" << Groups.size() << "):" << std::endl;
+		for (AStringVector::const_iterator itr = Groups.begin(), end = Groups.end(); itr != end; ++itr)
+		{
+			std::cout << "    '" << *itr << "'." << std::endl;
+		}  // for itr - Groups[]
+		
+		// List all the permissions for the player:
+		AStringVector Permissions = m_Mgr.GetPlayerPermissions(UUID);
+		std::cout << "  Permissions(" << Permissions.size() << "):" << std::endl;
+		for (AStringVector::const_iterator itr = Permissions.begin(), end = Permissions.end(); itr != end; ++itr)
+		{
+			std::cout << "    '" << *itr << "'." << std::endl;
+		}  // for itr - Groups[]
+		
+		std::cout << "Done." << std::endl;
+	}
+	
+protected:
+	cRankManager m_Mgr;
+	cMojangAPI   m_API;
+} g_RankMgrTest;
+//*/
+
+
+
+
+
+cRankManager::cRankManager(void) :
+	m_DB("Ranks.sqlite", SQLITE_OPEN_READWRITE | SQLITE_OPEN_CREATE)
+{
+	// Create the DB tables, if they don't exist:
+	m_DB.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS Rank (RankID, Name, MsgPrefix, MsgPostfix, MsgNameColorCode)");
+	m_DB.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS PlayerRank (PlayerUUID, PlayerName, RankID)");
+	m_DB.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS PermissionGroup (GroupID, Name)");
+	m_DB.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS RankPermissionGroups (RankID, GroupID)");
+	m_DB.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS PermissionItem (GroupID, Permission)");
+	
+	// TODO: Check if tables empty, add some defaults then
+}
+
+
+
+
+
+AString cRankManager::GetPlayerRankName(const AString & a_PlayerUUID)
+{
+	SQLite::Statement stmt(m_DB, "SELECT Rank.Name FROM Rank LEFT JOIN PlayerRank ON Rank.RankID = PlayerRank.RankID WHERE PlayerRank.PlayerUUID = ?");
+	stmt.bind(1, a_PlayerUUID);
+	stmt.executeStep();
+	if (stmt.isDone())
+	{
+		// No data returned from the DB
+		return AString();
+	}
+	return stmt.getColumn(0).getText();
+}
+
+
+
+
+
+AStringVector cRankManager::GetPlayerPermissionGroups(const AString & a_PlayerUUID)
+{
+	// Prepare the DB statement:
+	SQLite::Statement stmt(m_DB,
+		"SELECT PermissionGroup.Name FROM PermissionGroup "
+			"LEFT JOIN RankPermissionGroups "
+				"ON PermissionGroup.GroupID = RankPermissionGroups.GroupID "
+			"LEFT JOIN PlayerRank "
+				"ON PlayerRank.RankID = RankPermissionGroups.RankID "
+		"WHERE PlayerRank.PlayerUUID = ?"
+	);
+	stmt.bind(1, a_PlayerUUID);
+	
+	// Execute and get results:
+	AStringVector res;
+	while (stmt.executeStep())
+	{
+		res.push_back(stmt.getColumn(0).getText());
+	}
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+
+
+
+AStringVector cRankManager::GetPlayerPermissions(const AString & a_PlayerUUID)
+{
+	// Prepare the DB statement:
+	SQLite::Statement stmt(m_DB,
+		"SELECT PermissionItem.Permission FROM PermissionItem "
+			"LEFT JOIN RankPermissionGroups "
+				"ON PermissionItem.GroupID = RankPermissionGroups.GroupID "
+			"LEFT JOIN PlayerRank "
+				"ON PlayerRank.RankID = RankPermissionGroups.RankID "
+		"WHERE PlayerRank.PlayerUUID = ?"
+	);
+	stmt.bind(1, a_PlayerUUID);
+	
+	// Execute and get results:
+	AStringVector res;
+	while (stmt.executeStep())
+	{
+		res.push_back(stmt.getColumn(0).getText());
+	}
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/src/RankManager.h b/src/RankManager.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cda6beee9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/RankManager.h
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+
+// RankManager.h
+
+// Declares the cRankManager class that represents the rank manager responsible for assigning permissions and message visuals to players
+
+
+
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "SQLiteCpp/Database.h"
+
+
+
+
+
+class cRankManager
+{
+public:
+	cRankManager(void);
+	
+	/** Returns the name of the rank that the specified player has assigned to them. */
+	AString GetPlayerRankName(const AString & a_PlayerUUID);
+	
+	/** Returns the names of PermissionGroups that the specified player has assigned to them. */
+	AStringVector GetPlayerPermissionGroups(const AString & a_PlayerUUID);
+	
+	/** Returns the permissions that the specified player has assigned to them. */
+	AStringVector GetPlayerPermissions(const AString & a_PlayerUUID);
+	
+	/** Returns the names of groups that the specified rank has assigned to it. */
+	AStringVector GetRankPermissionGroups(const AString & a_RankName);
+	
+	/** Returns the permissions that the specified permission group has assigned to it. */
+	AStringVector GetPermissionGroupPermissiont(const AString & a_GroupName);
+	
+	/** Returns the names of all defined ranks. */
+	AStringVector GetAllRanks(void);
+	
+	/** Returns the names of all permission groups. */
+	AStringVector GetAllPermissionGroups(void);
+	
+	/** Returns all the distinct permissions that are stored in the DB. */
+	AStringVector GetAllPermissions(void);
+	
+	/** Returns the message visuals (prefix, postfix, color) for the specified player. */
+	void GetPlayerMsgVisuals(
+		const AString & a_PlayerUUID,
+		AString & a_MsgPrefix,
+		AString & a_MsgPostfix,
+		AString & a_MsgNameColorCode
+	);
+	
+	/** Adds a new rank. No action if the rank already exists. */
+	void AddRank(const AString & a_RankName);
+	
+	/** Adds a new permission group. No action if such a group already exists. */
+	void AddPermissionGroup(const AString & a_GroupName);
+	
+	/** Adds the specified permission group to the specified rank.
+	Fails if the rank or group names are not found.
+	Returns true if successful, false on error. */
+	bool AddPermissionGroupToRank(const AString & a_RankName, const AString & a_GroupName);
+	
+	/** Adds the specified permission to the specified permission group.
+	Fails if the permission group name is not found.
+	Returns true if successful, false on error. */
+	bool AddPermissionToPermissionGroup(const AString & a_Permission, const AString & a_GroupName);
+	
+	/** Removes the specified rank.
+	All players assigned to that rank will be re-assigned to a_ReplacementRankName, unless it is empty. */
+	void RemoveRank(const AString & a_RankName, const AString & a_ReplacementRankName);
+	
+	/** Removes the specified permission group. */
+	void RemovePermissionGroup(const AString & a_PermissionGroup);
+	
+	/** Removes the specified permission from the specified permission group. */
+	void RemovePermission(const AString & a_Permission, const AString & a_PermissionGroup);
+	
+	/** Renames the specified rank. No action if the rank name is not found.
+	Fails if the new name is already used.
+	Returns true on success, false on failure. */
+	bool RenameRank(const AString & a_OldName, const AString & a_NewName);
+	
+	/** Renames the specified permission group. No action if the rank name is not found.
+	Fails if the new name is already used.
+	Returns true on success, false on failure. */
+	bool RenamePermissionGroup(const AString & a_OldName, const AString & a_NewName);
+	
+	/** Sets the specified player's rank.
+	If the player already had rank assigned to them, it is overwritten with the new rank.
+	Note that this doesn't change the cPlayer if the player is already connected, you need to update all the
+	cPlayer instances manually. */
+	void SetPlayerRank(const AString & a_PlayerUUID, const AString & a_RankName);
+	
+protected:
+
+	SQLite::Database m_DB;
+} ;
+
+
+
+